Ethics Vs Utilitarianism In Nursing

After googling the term "ethics" the basic definition is the first that appears. The meaning being "moral principles that govern a person 's or group 's behavior".

“A man is truly ethical only when he obeys the compulsion to help all life which he is able to assist, and shrinks from injuring anything that lives.”- Albert Schweitzer

This quote could be related to the Utilitarian View and the Moral-Rights view. The Utilitarian view focuses on delivering the greatest goods to the greatest number of people while assessing moral complications in terms of consequences. The Moral-Rights view focuses on the respect for all people and living things.

The quote could be broken down to a basic understanding of being an ethical individual, and by

Nurse’s come across ethical dilemmas daily, as working in a hospital is tough and strenuous. Ethical decisions must be made all the time, as nurses and doctors are working with peoples lives. The advice I would give myself in the future while confronting and dealing with this issues would be to remember back to the different types of ethical views, and ask which view best fits the situation and my personal moral and ethical belief system.

Dependent on the situation at hand, I would most likely look back to the Utilitarian View, Moral-Rights View, or Justice View of Ethics. The reason why I would choose one of these viewpoints is because I would try and choose the best ethical decision that would allow the patients to benefit in the most morally, ethically, and humane way possible. Fair and impartial treatment would need to be made in some situations, as people do need to follow rules and standards while working in the health field. Additionally, while making these decisions, as a nurse, I would try and respect all rights of individuals while also trying to make the most proper decisions that would benefit not only this patient but potentially another patient as